Scientists join forces with tobacco companies to make safer e-cigarettes

The very scientists who once worked to cure cancers caused by tobacco are teaming up with cigarette companies to help create safer products, Reuters reports.

"We were looking at drugs that make people very ill and maybe extend their life by 12 to 14 weeks," Gizelle Baker, a biostatistician and former employee of a cancer drug developer, said. "If you have a product that prevents cancer in the first place you can have a much bigger impact on public health."

Philip Morris International has hired hundreds of scientists, including toxicologists, chemists, biologists, biostatisticians, and other experts to help develop their e-cigarette; Altria Group, the makers of Marlboro, and the e-cigarette company NJOY have also invested in scientists and researchers.

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If tobacco companies can prove to the FDA that e-cigarettes are less harmful, then they might evade the taxes and regulations imposed on their traditional counterparts.